300mm Wafers Require New Metrology

Electronic News, July 10, 2000 by Roger Ingalls

248 nanometer to 193nm to be successful, the optical constants of DUV photoresists must be characterized at exposure wavelengths. To directly measure film material at 193nm, equipment engineers must use spectroscopic ellipsometry technology. This advanced lithography process also requires that material reflectivity is determined at exposure wavelengths, and that thin, multilayer anti-reflective coatings are measured. Both are accomplished by reflectometry at 193nm.

In short, the use of advanced metrology platforms becomes more critical as chips become more complex. Measurement and analysis efforts must increase exponentially with the use of 300mm wafers, low-k dielectric material, copper interconnect and ever-shrinking line widths, or chipmakers will lose their competitive edge in an already profit-tight market.

Roger Ingalls is vice president and director of marketing for Nanometrics Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.